Firearms certification for ex-cops

Sheriff's office will charge for training to carry guns

Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies will soon offer proficiency tests to former law enforcement officers from around the country who want to carry guns at all times and across state lines.

The testing will be allowed because some ex-cops have been finding it difficult to get certified instruction.

County Commissioner Bob Kanjian, the son of a retired police officer, has been seeking for months to make it easier for the ex-officers to carry guns.

With more than 3,000 retired officers living in Palm Beach County, Kanjian has said more ex-cops with firearms might be able to prevent violence or respond to shooting incidents, such as the March 3 shootings at a Wendy's restaurant in West Palm Beach.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw asked commissioners Tuesday if they wanted the county to pay the costs of the proficiency tests, as Kanjian had suggested. Commissioners declined, and so Bradshaw will charge a $150 fee to cover the costs of a background check, ammunition for testing, range time and other costs.

A federal law passed in 2004 allowed certain law enforcement retirees to carry guns at all times and to cross state lines while armed. The law left it to states to establish rules and standards for certification. Last year, Florida lawmakers defined the state's policies. Still, ex-officers have had difficulty finding places to get the required testing of their shooting skills.

Even though the county won't be picking up the tab for the testing, Commission Chairman Addie Greene, who owns a weapon that she keeps in her residence, said she's troubled by new laws making it easier for people to carry and use guns.

"We have guns everywhere," Greene said. "We are making it possible for this to become the Wild Wild West."

On Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law the Legislature's controversial guns-to-work bill that allows Floridians with concealed-weapons permits to take their guns to work, provided the weapons are locked in their cars.

Greene said she has concerns about a state law that allows people to fire a weapon to defend themselves, even in public areas, so long as they feel "threatened" by a potential assailant.

Mark Hollis can be reached at mhollis@sun-sentinel .com or 561-228-5512.